Faulty Water Meters Driving Homeowners Into F'closure? Bogus H2O Bills Lead To Mtg. Payment Hikes; City Admits Knowledge, Says Empty Coffers Block Fix

In Brockton, Massachusetts, WCVB-TV Channel 5 reports:

• Some Brockton homeowners are up in arms over a certified letter they received from the city giving them seven days to sign an agreement to pay an abated water bill that they say doesn't reflect the true cost. This latest development stems from a controversy that began in July 2009, when thousands of homeowners got bills totaling thousands of dollars. One woman's bill was $100,000.



• After an extensive audit, the city's water department admitted knowing that faulty meters were giving false readings, but said there was no funding to replace them.



• In the meantime, homeowners were saddled with liens on their properties. Some of those liens were paid by mortgage companies that caused monthly mortgage payments to go up by several hundred dollars.



• Because of the problem, some homeowners are even facing foreclosure. Homeowners say they are willing to pay what they owe, but they want to know what formula the city is using to come up with its figures. They said they also want to know what the balance on those bills are before they sign anything.

Source: Homeowners Continue To Battle City Over Water Bills (City Sends Letters Giving Residents Days To Pay Bills).